NEXT BRANCH MEETING
Professor Yaru Liu will speak on “Chinese Language Teaching in Global Consciousness”
With Chinese language teaching as the title, the presentation will actually mainly focus on teaching foreigners Chinese, including teaching the overseas Chinese whose first language belongs to other languages. Teaching foreigners Chinese was first initiated in 1951, but it is until March of 1978 that it was raised as a discipline at a linguistic conference in Beijing, and the first magazine in this field was issued in 1979 with Language Teaching and Study as the title; and in 1984, the Language Teaching Institute of Beijing Language and Culture University was established as the special institute to do research in this regards. In the last 20 years, teaching foreigners Chinese has experienced a rocketing development. This very presentation will unfold the current global situation and problems existing in this regard to the audience.
Yaru Liu is an associate professor of Hainan University, translator, 2005 SACS (Special Award for Canadian Studies) Winner, Chinese Teacher sent by Hanban at St. Cyril & Methodius University of Skopje (the Republic of Macedonia) from 2006-2008, and currently Chinese teacher at the Confucius Institute at VUW, with seven translations and many papers published in China.
Wednesday, 16 May 2012, at 5:45 pm in Connolly Hall
Guildford Terrace, off Hill Street, Thorndon, Wellington.
(Car park up Guildford Tce beside Hall)
An optional Chinese buffet meal, supplied by the Fujiyama Café, will follow the meeting at 7 pm. Orders for the $11.00 meal (please pay at the door) will be taken up till 6 pm. If you think you may be arriving late, please let the Secretary know in advance.
ALSO COMING UP THIS MONTH (see below for details)
5, 12 May, 3:15pm Mandarin Corner, 20 Kelburn Parade
18-20 May National Conference, Auckland
19 May, 3:15pm Mandarin Corner, 20 Kelburn Parade
24 May, 5pm Language and Culture Night, 101 Wakefield St
26 May, 3:15pm Mandarin Corner, 20 Kelburn Parade
IDIOM OF THE MONTH (from George Mills)
书是随时携带的花园 (shū shì suí shí xié dài de huā yuán)
A book is like a garden carried in the pocket
2012 NZCFS NATIONAL CONFERENCE – AUCKLAND, 18-20 THIS MONTH
The 2012 National Conference and AGM will be held from 18 – 20 May in Auckland, where the Society began 60 years ago. The theme is appropriately: “By honouring our past, we find our future”. See the society website for further details and a registration form. Note that the early registration rate has been extended to Saturday 12 May.
REPORT FROM LAST MEETING (by George Mills)
During our April meeting, members were delighted to host Dr. James Liu of Victoria University, who shared with us a very interesting part of his research, focused on a comparison of the cultural modalities of Liberal Democratic vs. Bureaucratic Authoritarian systems of organization, and by extension, governance. Besides his academic expertise in psychology, Dr. Liu brought to this topic his own life experiences, as a citizen of both the “West” (US and NZ) and the “East” (Taiwan), as well as his time spent doing academic work in mainland China while on sabbatical.
In particular, and using a variety of supporting information (including past academic literature, as well as data collected by him and his colleagues), Dr. Liu explained that while the Liberal Democratic system of organization was dominant in Western countries, it was the Bureaucratic Authoritarian system that enjoyed a far longer historical existence, and had proved hugely effective (in one form or another) in several of the economic powerhouses of Asia, both emerging and established, and including China. Dr. Liu added, however, that these two systems were neither mutually exclusive nor static, and suggested that both were “part of a global fabric for survival”. It was important that practitioners of either system understood and appreciated the other, and could come “to terms with these two as the yin and the yang of global futures, as opposed to being mortal enemies”.
The presentation was intellectually challenging, and drew comments and questions from a number of members, who given their own backgrounds and experiences with the two systems, clearly appreciated, with the rest of the audience, that Dr. Liu’s research on this topic is both extremely relevant and timely.
MEETING DATES FOR 2012
We do not have speakers lined up for the whole of 2012 yet, and we would welcome any suggestions for potential speakers. However we do know the dates for our meetings, since we have had to book Connolly Hall. The dates we have chosen (and for which Connolly Hall is available) are:
Sun 24 Jun, Sun 15 Jul, Wed 15 Aug, Wed 19 Sep, Wed 17 Oct, and Wed 21 Nov.
MORAL QUANDARY OVER THE ELDERLY
As the nine-to-fivers in China commute each day and undergo the pressure of crowded throngs during rush hour, a number of old people are joining the chaos and have raised a moral quandary for the younger generation-whether or not to allow them in. In Wuhan, two elderly women suffered humiliation as they prepared to board a bus during the morning rush hour. “The others are commuting to work and they have to earn a living, why do you follow and worsen the congestion?” said the driver. Angered by his rude remarks, the passengers opened a verbal fire on the driver and some offered their seats to the women in good faith. But frustrated and embarrassed, the two, tottering, denied their offer and stood in the bus until they disembarked. The news, some critics say, is a sad comment on the traditional idea that we should venerate and care for the elderly, since in China, privilege and honour are often accorded to those in advancing years. But in some eyes, the special status assigned to the elderly is the main culprit of their growing presence in many public places, such as parks and museums, in which they are exempt from fares according to local regulations. The same problem also affects private sectors. Last year, an IKEA shop in Shanghai was occupied by hoards of middle-aged customers and large crowds of singles between the ages of 45 and 65 who showed up for unlimited coffee, and sought a potential date. The moral quandary arising from the incident has lead to a heated debate over whether the elderly should avoid rush hour. On China’s Sina Weibo, over 52,000 users voted for their withdrawal, compared to the about 8000 voters insisting on their rights. (from ChinaCulture.org, April 2012).
MANDARIN CORNER 汉语角 3.15pm Saturdays during school terms
Room 103, 24 Kelburn Parade, Victoria University of Wellington. There is a topic for each session to stimulate interest (may change subject to unforeseen circumstances). All welcome. Gold coin donation.
Four sessions in May 2012:
5 May – Courtesy Terms 礼貌用语 12 May – Mother‘s Day 母亲节 19 May – Colourful Colours 五彩缤纷的颜色
26 May – Our Travel Experience 我们的旅行经历 (Speaker: David Chan from Kiwi Holidays)
Contact: Ellen Yang 杨川, 473-7558, 027-4756888, [email protected].
LANGUAGE AND CULTURE NIGHT WITH CHINESE FILM 中国电影
Date: Thursday 24 May Time: 5.00pm – 9:30pm
Venue: Committee Room One, Wellington City Council, 101 Wakefield Street. Gold coin donation.
This month we are going to hold an exciting event in the city centre. Get registered by 20 May, so you can enjoy the wonderful presentation, film and the Chinese food! Please feel free to pass this email to your friends and colleagues.
BEAUTY OF CHINESE CHARACTER 汉字之美 – Presentation by local artists Stan Chan & Judy Huo
Sponsored by the Confucius Institute at Victoria University of Wellington
A free Chinese language and culture night with a Chinese film, NARROW STREET 小街
Mingle with people who are also interested in Chinese language and culture with light refreshment from 5pm. Narrow Street movie Presentation will start at 6pm and film at 7.30pm, a supper will be served after film.
Venue: Committee Room One, Wellington City Council, 101 Wakefield Street.
Registration required as places are limited and for catering purpose.
Please RSVP to Ellen Yang by sending email to [email protected], by Sunday 20 May to receive your invitation. School-age children are welcome.
Feature film NARROW STREET (1981, 100 minutes, English subtitle) – From a unique angle of the destruction of humanity, this movie sensationally describes the Cultural Revolution and by the experiences of two young people, displays the ordinary people’s longing for kindness.
Look forward to seeing you then!
Ellen Yang, Coordinator, Mandarin Corner, 027-4756888
A FAMILY WEDDING AND CHINESE NEW YEAR IN CHINA (by Luke Qin 秦瞳)
How time really flies. It feels like yesterday that I was having KFC at Auckland International Airport, waiting for my flight to Guangzhou when a couple of Customs ladies bought the last 6 Wicked Wings which had to be returned because they were “cold as”. Yet I was told that KFC sold steaming hot soy milk and porridge in China and the last thing I ever expected of western brands was finding Starbucks ensconced deep inside Kuan Zhai Xiang Zi (Wide and Narrow Alleys) in Chengdu in a Chinese courtyard.
By the way the lady in this picture is my wife Maggie, who gave up a plum job in the public sector in Jiang Su Province for which she had to pass a series of stringent exams and interviews to join me in Wellington. The highlight of my trip back home would have to be our wedding on 8 Feb and it took us a whole day to get the wedding photos taken, not to mention that the wallet took a hit when I was choosing the photos with the 3Ms – my mum, mother-in-law and Maggie, as we had to pay for the extra photos we wanted to keep outside of the 30 allowed in the package deal.
The food was amazingly good as long as I didn’t have to cook for myself and I did put on some weight thanks to my physical indolence and the one child policy that has now been loosened to allow for an extra child if both parents are the only one in their respective families, meaning Maggie and I could legally have 2 kids even if we decided to raise a family in China. It was really neat to meet our childhood friends who have recently become parents and I guess we will only be able to fully comprehend the joy and sense of responsibility when our 1st baby arrives.
Having spent the last 8 Chinese New Years in New Zealand I really felt that this trip was long overdue as I spent a lot of quality time with my folks back home and it was really nice to see the rapid economic development re-shaping the Middle Kingdom at phenomenal speed and the very workers who have conscientiously contributed to the rise of China being valued through markedly improved working conditions, social welfare and remuneration which will in turn provide the impetus in transforming the Chinese economy that in the past heavily relied on export, driven by cheap labour, low-cost and pollutive production, to more sustainable domestic consumption that will benefit people of all walks of life. It looks as if cats of all colours can now catch the mouse.
CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE NEWS (from the CIVUW team)
Victoria University of Wellington was honoured with the visit of H.E. Jia Qinglin, Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference of the PRC, as part of the 40th anniversary celebration of the establishment of diplomatic relations with New Zealand.
In his speech, Chairman Jia emphasised the important role that Confucius Institutes play as a platform to New Zealanders learning Chinese language and culture. He also praised the scheme of Confucius Classrooms and supported the various Chinese courses offered to nearly 13,000 primary and secondary schools students in New Zealand. Acknowledging the University’s record of teaching and research in Chinese culture, language and history, he expressed his wish for both countries to continue promoting cultural exchanges. At the end of his speech, Chairman Jia took time to talk to a number of VUW Chinese Language students, encouraging them to further enhance their knowledge of Chinese language and culture.
The Confucius Institute has made a book donation to the Tauranga Girls’ College to support the establishment of a Chinese Community School. This school was officially opened on 13th February 2012 and offers a number of Chinese classes for both students and adults. For further information, please e-mail [email protected].
Board Members of the Confucius Institute gathered this month to discuss upcoming projects and future initiatives. A range of exciting cultural events and a number of interesting courses are being organised and will be presented shortly. Visit the Confucius Institute website for an update on the Institute’s work: http://www.victoria.ac.nz/ci/.
WATER DIVERSION BLUES
In recent years, large scale water diversion projects have begun in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, famous for their abundant water supply. The Pearl River Delta, China’s rainiest region, has followed suit. However the increasing use of such projects to address severe water scarcity throughout China is raising questions over the potential long-term impact on the environment and local economy. In Northern China, there are even more water diversion projects. In provinces along the Yellow River, in the Northeast, and in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei triangle, there are dozens of water diversion projects underway. China has become the global leader in water diversion in only a few decades primarily because of its rapid urbanization and industrialization. This intense water diversion has wreaked havoc on the environment however. Environmentalists around the world assess that no more than 30% of a river should be drawn off, lest the local ecology suffer gravely. The North China river system is now full of dry river beds and pollution after years of supplying water to Beijing, Tianjin, and other cities. Diversion projects in recent decades on the Yellow River have reduced the amount of its flow into the ocean to less than 20 billion cubic meters a year, down from over 50 billion cubic meters in the 1950s. By total volume, over 70% of the Yellow River’s water is siphoned off. A hydropower expert noted that in cities desperately in need of water, the local governments think of water diversion as a cure-all. When their reservoirs run low, they don’t even consider conservation but rather jump straight to diversion. When the water is polluted, they don’t relegate the polluters, but again jump straight to water diversion. And once they divert water, they go right back to their old crude development models. The residents of the areas receiving diverted water have not cultivated a mentality of water conservation. There aren’t enough legal restrictions, and the price of water is too low. Thus nobody values appropriately the water that is diverted to them. While water diversion is one method that can be used to solve water supply problems, it should be carefully implemented, and done with open eyes, and in moderation. (from Caixin online, April 2012, edited.)
BREASTFEEDING: MAJOR FACTOR IN PREVENTING CHRONIC DISEASES (from Joy Bickley-Asher)
China celebrated World Breastfeeding Week in 2011 by emphasising the benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and baby. The breastfeeding rate in China is low compared with other countries and the Chinese authorities want to encourage women to breastfeed. It promotes a strong bond between mother and baby. It boosts the baby’s intelligence by 4 points. It boosts immunity. It has a significant impact on preventing chronic diseases in later life such as obesity, heart disease 
and certain cancers. Women who breastfeed are less likely than other women to get ovarian or breast cancer.
These factors have prompted a new push by China’s health authorities to increase the rates of breastfeeding in China, and to encourage continuation of breastfeeding along with appropriate complementary food for at least the first two years of life. They are encouraging all members of the family to support women who wish to breastfeed their babies. Employers are being challenged to provide baby friendly environments.
Speakers at the forum to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week in Beijing said that it is vital that messages about the benefits of breastfeeding are directed to young people. Antenatal education programmes are another opportunity to explain the benefits of breastfeeding. But everyone of all ages needs to learn about the benefits of breastfeeding because of the influential role of older members of the family in supporting young mothers. These are effective ways of helping to address the problem of increasing rates of heart disease, diabetes and cancers in China.
SUBSCRIPTION RENEWALS
Subscriptions for 2012 are now due. Please use the renewal form accompanying last month’s newsletter, or visit the website: nzchinasociety.org.nz/join-now/wellington-branch-membership-application/. We prefer that you fill in all the details on the subscription form each year to confirm that we have your correct information. Thank you to those who have already renewed.
NOTICE OF SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
The Branch Meeting on 15 July will include a Special General Meeting to consider two related changes to the Branch Rules recommended by the Committee.
The first proposal is to amend Rule 6.3 by replacing “twelve months” with “four months”. The amended rule would read: “Any member who is four months in arrears with dues shall not be entitled to enjoy the privileges of the Branch.”
The second proposal is to amend Rule 7.1 by replacing “the close” with “the end of April”. The amended rule would read: ” Any member who is in arrears of their annual subscription due at the end of April of any financial year shall be liable to be struck off the register of members”.
These changes are needed for consistency with the National Rules. These were amended in May 2011 to provide that members of the Society are liable to be struck off the register if their subscriptions are overdue at the end of April.
